My First NCAA Tournament Games

My dad and I went to the NCAA Men’s Tournament first round games at the Dome last weekend, and my friend and I went to the second round games.  These were the first ever tournament games I’ve been to, and I had a blast.

Here is my take on the teams that I saw play:

North Dakota State – These guys gave it their all in the first round against Kansas.  Their guard had one of the best performances I’ve ever seen in person.  The Dome was absolutely rocking with all of the NDSU fans.  Played Kansas VERY tough and were in the game until the final three minutes.

Kansas – Took care of buisness in both games.  IMO they rely too much on two players… which could be trouble if either one is in foul trouble or doesn’t play very well.  Aldrich is a beast.  Collins can’t miss (but also can’t play a lick of defense).

Dayton – GREAT spirit.  From the band (and their incredible leader) to the cheerleaders to the fans.  They brought that extra flair that makes the experience special.  Looked very good against West Virginia, but couldn’t make a shot to save their lives against Kansas.  Provided the best dunks of the weekend.

West Virginia – Very disappointing against Dayton.  I thought they would have played much better.  Good team.  Good coach.  Just wasn’t their day.

USC – Looked very good against MSU.  Lacked some size, but had great guard play and a very balanced attack.

Michigan State – The best team I saw this weekend.  Balanced attack.  Great defense.  Good size.  USC played them tough, but they stepped up when they had to.

Having seen the teams play in person, I’d have to say that Michigan State will beat Kansas next week.  I think they have the size to cause Aldrich some problems, and the guard play to cause Collins some trouble.  They also had a much more balanced attack than Kansas, which allows them to better absorb a below average performance from some of their players, as well as exploit any holes in the Kansas defense that open up.

Things I Like #29: Using NCAA-Style Brackets for Things Other Than NCAA Basketball

While nothing can compare to the actual NCAA brackets, I always enjoy the random other brackets that people come up with this time of year.  People LOVE brackets.  Put anything in a bracket and people will get into it.  They will offer analysis and make picks and everything.  Try it sometime.  You’ll see.  Here are three shining examples of brackets that have nothing to do with sports:

1) Barney’s Women Slept With: Although not from this year, I saw this classic HIMYM episode the other night.  It features not only the real tournament bracket, but a bracket of the women that Barney has slept with.  And a drunk debate as they fill it out.  Incredible.

2) Best Week Ever’s 90s Movies: Another great one.  I counted yesterday and I haven’t seen 37 of the 64 movies… but still, my personal shortcomings don’t shouldn’t discourage the acknowledgement of  great bracket usage.

3) Colin Cowherd’s Cereal:  This is a perfect example of the “put anything into a bracket and people will love it” bracket.  ESPN Radio personality Colin Cowherd created a cereal bracket (to prove that very point) and had people vote online to determine the winner of each matchup.  In the final, Cheerios narrowly beat out Frosted Flakes to claim the title of Herd Breakfast Bracket Champion.  Check out the results here to see how your favorite cereal did: http://sports.espn.go.com/espnradio/bracket?page=theherd/cereal